Frostbites
by Nikki Winters
Summary: Toshiro is sent to a small town called Burgess to handle a rare Hollow appearance. Whilst there, he finds out the hard way, that death gods are less than welcomed by the Guardians especially one Jack Frost. Four-shot
1. Chapter 1

A/n: I watched Rise of the Guardians twice and this idea of Jack Frost going up again Bleach's Toshiro Hitsugaya has been swirling in my head for a while so here it goes.

Disclaimer: I own neither Bleach nor Rise of the Guardians characters, only my imagination and the storyline.

"Blah blah blah": talk in English

_Blah blah blah: _Thought

_"Blah blah blah": _talk in Japanese

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**Frostbites **

**Chapter 1**

Hollow sightings were rare in the western countries but it didn't mean they didn't happen. And when they did, Soul Society would send in a captain to handle the problem as swiftly and as promptly as possible before things got ugly. Because the other side of the world believed in a whole different spiritual world than the East and that fuelled their existence there. Call it territorial but spirits have a tendency to keep to their side of the world, sometimes living in denial of others like them. However if a Hollow were to appear, then duty comes first and all bets are off.

Still, Hitsugaya Toshiro wondered why of all the captains they had to send him.

Perched atop a rooftop, the captain of the Tenth Division gazed out at the quiet town, admiring the coat of snow that blanketed it. Usually he hated Western countries because their weathers were just unpredictable but since winter had brewed in just before his arrival, he was thankful.

Reaching into his haori, he pulled out his phone and checked the reports once more to be sure he got the details right. Several days ago, just after the western holiday called Easter, the Twelve Division detected the presence of a Hollow in this particular town. A field scientist was sent in for closer observation and found that the Hollow seemed drawn to the local school where they suspected a few children with potentially high spiritual awareness. That explained the Hollow's attraction to the town.

Hence, the need to send in a captain to access and handle the situation.

Toshiro wondered if Kurotsuchi had something to do with his assignment to this case. The mad scientist captain had been present at his briefing and not for the first time, Toshiro wondered if Kurotsuchi was keeping something more from him.

_"Do try to bring back one of those specimens. Oh, how exciting!" _was the last image Toshiro had of the maddened shinigami. _"All the potential data from the western world!" _

_Not bloody likely, _Toshiro thought with a frown. He tucked his phone away and sighed, pondering his next course of action. It seemed perhaps mingling amongst the children would be the best alternative.

A vein in his forehead twitched as it suddenly occurred why he was sent on this mission. "_Bastard!"_ he snarled to no one in particular. _"I am gonna kill that white faced freak when this is over_!"

"Hey, who are you?"

Blinking in confusion at the unfamiliar voice that called out to him, Toshiro glanced down and standing in the middle of the street was a young brown-haired boy, looking straight at him. Toshiro thought to ignore him when it occurred to him.

"Wait a minute. You can see me?" Toshiro asked in surprise, automatically reverting to English as he dropped down to the street. Now and then, he would brush up on his foreign languages in case of assignments such as this. He doubted the other captains did.

The boy's wide eyes followed him, awe and amazement in them. "Sure I can. Man, you look just like him! Your hair is so white! Just like his! Is it real?"

Toshiro narrowed his green eyes on the boy. "Of course, it is!" then drawing in a deep breath, he reminded himself that this was only a child. "What's your name, kid?"

"I am Jamie. What about you?"

Odd, this kid seemed surprisingly at ease around him despite his foreign outfit and appearance.

"My name is Toshiro Hitsugaya." the captain said, recalling that in the west, their surnames came last.

"That's a weird name." the boy said with a frown. "Where are you from? That's a funky outfit by the way. Say, do you know Jack Frost? Are you related to him?"

"Jack Frost?"

"You know, the spirit of winter? The one who gives us snow days and the best snow ball fights?" the kid went on. "You two look very much alike, you know."

Interesting. This kid has seen the fabled Jack Frost. His exposure to the spirit's presence could be the reason why he could see Toshiro as well. And why the Hollows were flocking to this town like bees to honey.

"Did he do this?" Toshiro asked, toeing the snow-covered ground with his feet.

"Of course he did. Who else could have done it?" Jamie said as though it was the most obvious thing.

Toshiro pursed his lips to keep himself from impulsively answering that question as he crossed his arms in front of him. "Would you happen to know where I might find him?"

"Why?" Jamie asked. "Why do you want to know where Jack is? What's it to you?"

"I just have some questions to ask him." Toshiro said. This kid was too curious for his own good.

"Good luck with that." Jamie said. "He hasn't been back for the last three days. I think Santa called him to the North Pole."

_Santa? _Toshiro stared at the boy in disbelief before he slowly let out a sigh. The Guardians must really be getting rusty at keeping their presence a secret if one kid has seen both Jack Frost and Santa. Soul Society had briefed him on the Guardians anointed by a certain Man in the Moon but as for actually meeting one of them, Toshiro wasn't quite keen on that.

Besides the sooner he handled the Hollow problem, the sooner he could get back to Soul Society and his paper work which was probably just pilling up on his desk in his office.

Oh, and that was that other thing irked him about this mission. Matsumoto had so generously volunteered to accompany him despite him insisting he could handle it alone.

_"Taicho!"_

Speak of the devil.

Turning around to face his lieutenant, Toshiro felt a scowl working its way across his face as she drew closer. "Matsumoto…"

She bounded up to him in her gigai, her arms filled with shopping bags. _"I love it here, Taicho!"_ she gushed excitedly. _"The clothes are so pretty and different and better yet, they fit me just perfectly!"_

A vein twitched in his temple as he resisted the urge to strangle the woman.

Rangiku Matsumoto beamed at her captain, oblivious or immune to his growing annoyance before finally noticing the little boy standing behind Toshiro's taller frame. "Oh, hello there. Did _Taicho _make a new friend? My name is Rangiku Matsumoto! You are?"

Toshiro cringed at her horribly accented English but Jamie merely seemed surprised at the presence of a full-grown woman.

"Jamie Bennett, ma'am." he said politely. "Please to meet you, Miss Ran-Rangiku."

"Aw! He's so cute!" she squealed. _"Hey, Taicho. How come you can never be that polite to me?" _

_"Because politeness doesn't work with you." _he replied tartly, crossing his arms in front of him. _"Freezing your lazy butt to the chair however…" _

She pouted. _"That's so mean…"_ then she frowned, tilting her head to the side as she stared at the young boy with open curiosity. "_Hang on. He can see you, Taicho?"_

"Yes. He can." Toshiro answered in English for Jamie's benefit. "Jamie, who else in your town can see spirits?"

"Just me and a few other kids. You need to really believe to see Jack, Santa, Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny..." Jamie said.

_Easter Bunny? _"Well, just tell your friends to be careful." Toshiro said. "And if you see a monster with a white mask, run."

"I am not afraid. Jack Frost and the Guardians will protect us!" Jamie declared. "They did the last time against the Boogeyman."

Toshiro sighed before turning to Rangiku. "Make sure Jamie gets home safe, Matsumoto. I am going to have a look around."

_"Yes, Taicho." _

Leaving his second in command to take care of the child, Toshiro leapt onto the roof once more and watched as Rangiku and Jamie started walking down the street.

"How come you're not afraid of us? Don't you know it's not safe to talk to strangers?" she asked the boy.

Jamie's answer was honest and painfully innocently. "He looked so much like Jack that I thought they must be related or something and a friend of Jack Frost wouldn't hurt me…right? Besides, compared to Pitch, you guys seem okay."

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**Read and review**


	2. Chapter 2

A/n: Wow, first story and chapter and Frostbites is already on the alert list of 22 members and favourite of 14. Thank you all. That was nice motivation to update. i should mention that this is actually four chapter crossover. I have already finished it in fact so you can expect updates up for the next week. Consider that my Christmas present to all my readers.

I should also have mentioned in the previous chapter: Taicho means captain in Japanese.

Oh, and it'll be a while before Jack appears. Please don't click away! Special shoutout to my reviewers: blackkyu, Flocon de Neige, Belladonna209 and guest.

Disclaimer: I own neither Bleach nor Rise of the Guardians characters, only my imagination and the storyline.

"Blah blah blah": talk in English

_Blah blah blah: _Thought

_"Blah blah blah": _talk in Japanese

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Night time quickly fell over the town. Children were called back into the warmth of their homes and the street lights came on. Toshiro stood perched on a tree branch right outside Jamie's house, his senses attuned to his surroundings as he waited and observed. Within, he could see the boy and his little sister getting ready for bedtime, blissfully unaware of the death god outside their window. So far, there has been no indication of a Hollow within the vicinity of the town.

Perhaps it was just a glitch on Kurotsuchi's part. Or maybe the Guardians took care of the Hollows before he got here although he highly doubted that was the case. They were just not equipped to face a Hollow, let alone take down one.

"This is getting bothersome." he muttered, reaching into his haori for his phone.

Something moved behind him and in a flash, Toshiro was airborne as the branch where he was just a heartbeat ago exploded in a puff of colourful smoke.

He landed on the roof, reaching for his zanpaktou as he faced the presence standing in the shadows of the chimney.

"You might want to stay away from this household…" a gruff Australian accented voice said as its owner stepped into the moonlight. "…Death God."

Toshiro smirked as his hand fell away from his sword. "You must be the Easter Bunny. I've heard about you but the exploding eggs, that's a surprise. Not exactly kid friendly is it."

"I'll show you a whole lot of surprise if you don't leave now." Bunnymund said. "You death gods are bad news."

"You have heard of us." Toshiro remarked lightly.

"Hey, I've come across your kind before. Bad lot I'd say. Arrogant, all-high-and-mighty brutes, destroying everything…" the Pooka growled, whiskers twitching as he pulled himself to his full height which towered over the white-haired captain. "But this is the first time I've seen one who is obviously a big Jack Frost fan. Boy, won't that brat be thrilled."

_Hm, sounds as though he came across Zaraki's squad._ "Look." Toshiro began as he straightened to indicate he was no threat. "I was sent here to – wait. What did you just say? I am not a Jack Frost fan!"

The rabbit snorted. "The hair speaks otherwise. And your attitude reminds me too much of him. I don't like you."

"I assure you the feeling is mutual." Toshiro said darkly, resisting the urge to growl his frustration as he reminded himself that he had a mission to fulfil. "Listen here. I am not here to cause any trouble."

"Yeah, well. I'll believe it when you're good and gone from this place. Unless of course you want me to personally escort you out, kid with some good old fashion ass-kicking."

Was Toshiro's eyes deceiving him or was that a boomerang in the rabbit's paw? Fine, if the Easter Bunny wanted a fight, he was going to get one. "You'll have to catch me first, your oversized rat." Toshiro taunted before he flash-stepped away.

His plan was to lose the rabbit in the woods overlooking the town with his speed and should they have to fight, at least, the humans and the town won't be caught up in the fight.

"Did you actually think you can outrun me?" the now-familiar voice called out from below.

Glancing down as he ran from tree to tree, Toshiro was surprised to find the Easter Bunny actually keeping up with him.

"You are gonna pay for that nickname!" Bunnymund yelled as he bounded off a rock and taking advantage of his momentum, flung three eggs at the lithe death god.

Toshiro dodged, vanishing on the spot just as the eggs exploded and appeared a few step ahead, his steps unfaltering. Something whizzed pass his head, forcing him to land on a tree trunk in order to avoid the returning projection of the boomerang.

"Not bad, kid." Bunnymund said, leaping into the air to retrieve his weapon. "You're pretty light on your feet for a dead guy."

_"Hado #31! Shakkaho!"_ Toshiro incanted as he shoved out an open palm and with it, a blast of red energy.

As expected, Bunnymund dodged the attack but it bought the death god time to summon another spell. One that would hopefully put an end to this fight.

_"Bakudō # 4. Hainawa!"_

Yellow energy weaved into existence from his fingertips and with a wave, theysprung into motion, closing in on the rabbit and entangling itself around Bunnymund's arms and body. Toshiro watched with satisfaction as the Pooka landed face first in the snow, wiggling to no avail.

"What the?! Hey!"

"I didn't want to have to do that, Bunny but you left me no choice." the captain said smugly as he crossed his arms in front of him.

"I'll show you no choice, you little brat!" Bunnymund promised as he managed to climb to his knees.

Toshiro scoffed as he began to leave and paused as gold sand began to fall from the sky. A tiny groan escaped him as he detected a second presence materialising from the cloud of golden dust in front of the trapped rabbit. A short and oval shape man emerged and frowned at the death god. His sand rose up and with a single touch, freed Bunnymund from his bonds.

"Bout time you showed up, mate." the Pooka said in relief, rubbing feeling back into his arms. "Careful around this one, Sandy. He's crafty and he hasn't even drawn that shiny sword of his yet."

"You have got to be kidding me…" Toshiro grumbled as he faced the new arrival, the legendary Sandman. "This is just not my day…"

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**Read and Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

A/n: Initially this chapter was much shorter but it didn't sit right with me so I added in more. Enjoy ;)

And in case you missed it in the previous chapter, Bunnymund doesn't like death gods (shinigamis) because he had the misfortune of encountering Kenpachi's squad sometime in the past. I can imagine that encounter went quite badly for the Easter Bunny.

Special thanks to my reviewers: Black Cat Angel, Franny96, The OMG Cat, Tuliharja, Himawari-no-Ichizoku, Koren Flashblade, Random person, Bakaberry, guest, Belladonna209, Ziya Hitsugaya, Anon123, Cupcakes11 and gooberkitty.

"Blah blah blah": talk in English

_Blah blah blah: _Thought

_"Blah blah blah": _talk in Japanese

* * *

**Chapter 3**

It was just his luck that in one town he had to face not one but two guardians! And he hasn't even seen or picked up on a single Hollow since his arrival. He really was beginning to think Kurotsuchi's information was faulty.

Sand began to shimmer through the trees like golden liquid, lighting up the darkened woods in their mystical glow. Sandy raised his hands and two whips appeared in them. With surprising speed for one his size, he launched at Toshiro just as his sand surged in from all sides, cornering the death god.

_"Hado #58! Tenran!"_ Toshiro shouted as his body moved instinctively.

A powerful gust of wind swept from the centre of the fight, blowing away the golden sand and Bunnymund, after removing his paws from his eyes, saw that Sandy's whips were wrapped firmly around the boy's glimmering long blade, drawn at last.

"Now we can get this party started, eh." he muttered, pulling out several more eggs and bounced up to join the deadlock.

Toshiro detected the Pooka's attack from behind and twisting his zanpaktou free, leapt back just in time as several eggs exploded at his feet. The sand moved in again as its owner cracked his whips and from the corner of his eye, he could make out the blur that was the Easter Bunny making a rapid beeline for him.

_"Reign over the Frozen Heavens!"_ he shouted, raising his sword to the sky. "Hyourinmaru!"

He slashed the air around him, unleashing waves of ice that intercepted the sand attacks and threw Bunnymund off course to avoid getting impaled by a large shard of ice.

"What the hell?" the rabbit cursed as he joined Sandy who looked equally as puzzled by the newcomer's ability. "Okay, the white hair is freaky enough but why does he have Jack's powers?"

Sandy's response was a question mark.

Toshiro dropped into a stance, holding up his sword in front of him at the ready. "Hyourinmaru is my power to wield." he said. "And no one else's."

"You're delusional, mate." Bunnymund said, pointing his boomerang at him. "The Man in the Moon picked Jack with good purpose and I'll be damned if you insult that purpose with your cheap tricks."

"Cheap tricks?" Toshiro could feel his sword's annoyance and shared it. "We'll see about that. Hyourinmaru!"

Another slash of ice bounded towards the guardians forcing them to leap in separate directions to dodge it. Using his flashstep, Toshiro went after the Easter Bunny first, calling upon another binding spell in mid-motion.

_"Bakudō #63. Sajō Sabaku!" _he shouted, thrusting his palm forward.

As yellow chains rapidly encircled the rabbit again, Toshiro pivoted in midair in time to dodge several rapid whip lashes from the smaller Guardian. He somersaulted backwards to create distance, using his zanpaktou to summon forth another icy dragon that would had slammed into Sandy had he not formed a shield to protect him.

As he lowered the sand shield, Sandy blinked in confusion when he noticed that their opponent had vanished. Then he felt something wrap around his torso and heard Bunnymund's gruff warning too late as ice swept down the chain attached to the death god's sword, freezing his entire body in a block of ice.

"Sandy!" Bunnymund shouted as he struggled against the bonds that seemed tighter and stronger this time.

Toshiro glanced at his trapped opponents, wishing it hadn't come to this in the first place. He really didn't want to be known as the one who incapacitate both the Easter Bunny and the Sandman in one night. He was sure Yachiru will make his life a living hell if he did because, believe it or not, she loved Easter.

"Okay, I am going to say this once more!" he said, pulling himself up to his full height…which wasn't much. "I am not your enemy. I was sent here to look into a potential threat."

"The only potential threat around here is you, death god." Bunnymund retorted. "I wager you're working with Pitch! Spreading death and invoking fear! Did Pitch tell you to go after Jamie first?"

Pitch. That name sounded vaguely familiar and Toshiro distinctively recall Jamie mentioning that name to Rangiku. "No, I am not working with Pitch, whoever he is. I am here to protect Jamie and others like him, believe it or not. Being around you Guardians have endangered them."

"Really? Sure doesn't seem like it." a new voice chimed in. "Now stop pretending to be me before someone really gets hurt."

Toshiro whipped around, surprised and annoyed that yet another Guardian had gotten the drop on him and stopped in motion. "What the hell…"

Okay, he could understand now why Jamie thought he was related to Jack Frost or why the Bunny thought he was a crazed fan but actually seeing the other ice wielder face to face was startling. It was like he was looking into a mirror except not quite.

"I don't know who you are or why we look alike or have the same powers but it would be wise to let my friends go." Jack Frost said, glaring at Toshiro from his stance in midair.

Toshiro scoffed. "Your friends attacked me first. I was merely defending myself."

"Liar! I found him lurking outside Jamie's room!" Bunnymund shouted.

Toshiro groaned at how wrong that had sounded and it was on his lips to correct the bunny. But that one line instantly shifted Jack's demeanor and the cold air around them began to whirl to life. His grip on his sword tightened, Toshiro braced himself as his breath became visible in front of him.

"This should be fun."

He will never admit it aloud or to anyone but Toshiro was intrigued to find out what this boy was capable of. It wasn't everyday he came across another spirit who commanded the same element as he did. He wondered if their powers were even in the same league.

Jack unleashed a torrent of harden snowballs and ice on the death god with a wave of his staff only to miss as Toshiro launched himself into the air and at him.

With a loud thud, blade met wood and Toshiro was surprised that the thin, seemingly frail stick did not so much as crack under Hyourinmaru's sword. He detected old magic emitting from it and leapt back as another stream of ice exploded from the staff. As it turned out, that attack was merely a distraction and Toshiro found himself on the receiving end of a barrel of ice shards that cut into his haori and robes. Already shallow cuts and bruises were forming on his skin from the assault.

This kid wasn't messing around.

Slashing his sword downwards, Toshiro unleashed several ice attacks in the form of a dragon, sending them spiraling in all directions towards Jack. Startled by the ice dragons and their glimmering red eyes, Jack barely had time to twist out of the way to dodge to their snarling jaws.

"Whoa! Now that's a neat trick." he exclaimed, batting aside an ice dragon and scattering another with a swing of his staff.

"Then you're going to love this one." the death god's voice came from behind.

Sensing his presence closing in on him from behind too late, Jack whipped around while instinctively stepping back and narrowly dodging the sharp tip of the sword. He was however unprepared for the foot that slammed into his chest, sending him crashing down to the snowy banks of the frozen pond.

Above them, dark clouds began to gather, drawn by the cold spiritual energy released in the fight. Snow started to fall slowly and gently.

Jack blinked stars from his eyes as he struggled to rise. He could see the full moon peeking out from behind heavy clouds and could see from the corner of his eye, Bunny and Sandy making their way through the trees to him. Somehow they must have freed themselves with the death god distracted.

"JACK! Get up now, mate!"

Sitting up and rubbing his head with a groan, he quickly saw why as his opponent landed lightly in front of him, the tip of his sword barely touching the surface. With a flick of the sword, a stream of spiked ice shot up from the pond, barreling towards the Guardian with eye-blinding speed.

Calling upon the wind for a boost, Jack sprung to his feet, rolling aside and went airborne as he jabbed his staff at the death god's back. Without turning, the long sword came up and clashed with it, the vibrations running up to Jack's thin arms. He hopped backwards but wasn't fast enough to evade the ball of red energy that smack right into his chest, taking him by surprise.

"What the?!" Jack gasped as he staggered from the impact.

Toshiro was still in motion as he flashstepped forward and using his momentum, forced the other boy into defense. Sword and staff met again and again, tossing out ice and snowflakes as snow continued to fall from the sky.

Watching from the pond banks, Bunnymund could see that Jack was clearly outmatched in terms of skills and experience. The death god was too agile even for the winter spirit and knew how to wield not just his elemental power but other arsenals as well. Despite his young appearance, this death god was an experienced fighter.

"That's it." he announced, pulling out two boomerangs when Jack was thrown into a tree trunk. "I am going in!"

Sandy held out his hand to stop his comrade causing Bunny to look at him in surprise and confusion. When asked what was wrong, the shorter Guardian merely frowned as he stared off in direction of the town.

Something was wrong and it wasn't the death god.

Toshiro raised his sword as his spiritual pressure rose, causing snow to fall more rapidly and stopped when a familiar sinister aura flooded through the woods.

His eyes widened as his head whipped around towards to the town. "You have got to be kidding me…." he groaned.

Cursing, he pulled out his phone as it went off with a beep in confirmation of a Hollow arrival in the area. Without glancing back at Jack who was just climbing to his feet with the support of his staff or at the perplexed guardians, he took off in a blink of an eye.

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**Finally! Jack appears!**

**To thank me, review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/n**: Like I said this will be a four-chapter story. My reviewers have been wonderful and to thank them and everyone who has been following this story, I present the ending to it with a special guest star in it. Enjoy and a Merry Christmas!

Many thanks to my reviewers: Black Cat Angel, Tuliharja, Franny96, Himawari-no-Ichizoku, arandomreviewer, Lexiful Sunshine, Koren Flashblade, Belladonna209, SailorHeart233, The Creative Thinker and Swanfrost15.

"Blah blah blah": talk in English

_Blah blah blah: _Thought

_"Blah blah blah": _talk in Japanese

* * *

**Chapter 4**

_"Oh, yes. I can smell it. Spiritual power…so young, so fresh…" _

The voice was low, a hiss in the back of his half-awake mind. A tremor shook his room and Jamie shot up from his bed with a gasp.

"Earthquake!" he yelped before it occurred to him that Burgess didn't have earthquakes.

Another tremor rang out again and he could see a tall dark shadow moving along the street outside his window.

"No, that can't be Pitch…could it?" he wondered as he slid out of his bed and ran to the window, peeking outside.

The sight that greeted him was nothing like the Nightmares the Boogeyman commanded. Instead he caught a glimpse of a towering monster disappearing around a corner, leaving behind ape-like foot prints in its awake.

"Could it be…Bigfoot!" excitedly scrambling to pull on his winter coat, Jamie ran out of the house, following after the trail left in the snow.

He turned down the street that led to the park and literally skidded to a stop, his mouth gapping open in shock as he stared at the monster before him. "Oh uh…"

It definitely wasn't Bigfoot, not with its towering humanoid form, serpent-like tail and skull-covered face.

_"If you see a monster with a white mask, run."_

"Is this that monster Toshiro was talking about?" he asked aloud without meaning to.

A low rumble escaped the monster's maw as its head turned towards the boy. "Oh, look what I have here…a willing meal. So young and fresh…"

Jamie took that as his cue to run. His feet pounding against the snow-covered ground, he fled deeper into the park, his lungs desperately drawing in air as his heart thumped from the fear coursing through him. Without having to look back, he knew the monster was close at his heels based on the vibrations in the ground and the dirt being kicked up behind him.

Where was Jack? Where were the Guardians?

He didn't get far before an uprooted tree root caught his foot, causing him to trip and land face-first in the snow with a yelp.

"I got you now, little boy." the monster growled, reaching out to grab him.

Jamie clenched his eyes shut, praying fervently that Jack or one of the Guardians would appear at the last minute to save him.

_"Growl, Heineko!"_

The unexpected woman's voice made him pry his eyes open and Jamie found himself staring at the back of the woman he had met earlier that day along with Toshiro. But instead of a modern day clothes, she now wore a long black robe, similar to what Toshiro was wearing and she was holding what appeared to be the bladeless hilt of a sword as she whipped it sideways.

The monster bellowed in pain as its outreached arm disintegrated into pieces from an unseen attack. Rangiku pulled back her hilt and to Jamie's amazement, sand began to form the sword's blade.

"Whoa…Hey!" he yelped in surprise when she picked him up without warning and leapt away from the battle field.

Jamie was awestruck as they flew across the sky, her movements steady and swift before looking up at his savior. "You are a spirit after all! That's so cool!"

Rangiku smiled down at him, landing carefully on a building. "Don't worry, kid. You're safe with me as long as that Hollow -,"

Crash!

"He's right behind us!" he shouted, pointing.

"-doesn't come after us." she finished lamely, looking back in time to see the Hollow bound after them with rapid strides. His arm had regenerated in the pursuit.

"Matsumoto!" Jamie jumped as a white-haired figure appeared on their roof in a flash. "What's the status? Wha- Jamie, what are you doing here?"

The boy gulped as hard green eyes landed on him in confusion. "Ah, I was…"

Toshiro quickly shook his head. "Never mind. Matsumoto, take care of Jamie. I'll handle the Hollow and make sure _they_ don't come anyway near the fight!"

_"Yes, Taicho! Wait, who's they?" _Rangiku called after him but he had already flashstepped off to deal with the Hollow. The answer to her question appeared half a second later as a boy greatly resembling her captain and holding a crooked staff landed on the roof. He was followed closely by Bunny and Sandy in a dreamcloud.

"Crikey! What the hell is that!" Bunny gapped.

"Jack!" Jamie immediately ran over to the newcomer. "Bunny! Sandy!"

"Jamie? What are you…?" Jack's question died at his lips as he finally noticed the Hollow lumbering down the street and the smaller figure of the death god running towards it despite its towering size.

"Never mind that." Jamie said. "You have to help Toshiro!"

Despite his initial misgivings about his opponent, Jack nodded with determination. "Don't worry, Jamie. I got his back." He prepared to fly after the other boy when a hand was held out in front of him to stop him.

"Hold it right there." Rangiku said. "What makes you think my captain needs help? Besides this is our mission to handle, not yours."

As she spoke, snow burst from the heavy clouds hovering over the battle field as a flash of chain with a crescent blade entangled itself around the Hollow's arm. Ice raced up the chain and froze the arm from wrist to elbow. With a tug, the frozen limb snapped away from the monster, eliciting a pained roar but still it refused to back down.

"Silly little boy captain. I can regenerate any part of my body as many times as I want." the Hollow growled, its tail flicking at the smaller but faster boy as it waited for its limb to reproduce.

"Not if the cells in that part of your limb are dead." Toshiro pointed out with a smirk, somersaulting over the tail whip and caught the lash back in mid-swing single-handedly. "It's called frostbite, you dumbass."

The Hollow glanced down and saw that its slump of an arm had turned black. "NO!"

It reared back, a red glow gathering in its jaw quickly. Toshiro sprang into the air, faster than the normal eye could follow and swung his sword with a battle cry. An ice dragon flowed from the tip, striking the Hollow right in the face and scattering its mask and head into two. To ensure that it doesn't regenerate itself, he froze its entire body and watched as it scattered to tiny pieces of ice that rain down on the streets of the town, its residents none the wiser of the fight that had just ended.

Saved for one.

Toshiro returned to the roof where the Guardians, Jamie and Rangiku were, sheathing his sword to indicate he was in no mood for round two with the Guardians.

"Matsumoto, see to it that Jamie gets home safely." he ordered.

"Aw, but I want to see some more cool tricks." Jamie gushed. "Can you make snow day like Jack?"

From the corner of his eye, Toshiro could see the deflated look on the winter spirit's face at the child's words. He felt as though he should say something but what good will it do? He doubted Jamie or Jack would listen to him for separate reasons. Beside it wasn't as though Jamie was going to remember anything in the morning. Matsumoto will make sure of that.

"Can I see your sword, Toshiro?"

"Matsumoto…" the captain muttered.

"The captain doesn't like people touching his stuff." she told the hopeful kid. "But you can touch mine!"

"Matsumoto!"

"Oh, right. Let's get you home, Jamie and tucked in bed."

Bunnymund glanced at Sandy. "You best go with em too…" he suggested eyeing the female death god who waved cheerily at him.

Sandy nodded and taking the boy's hand, he guided him along to the sand-airplane waiting for them. Rangiku followed closely, hoping a fight wouldn't erupt between the remaining guardians and her captain. Although judging by the frosted state the talking rabbit and golden sandman had arrived in, she guessed they must have had their disagreement earlier.

"So, are you going to start explaining what the hell that was?" Bunny asked hotly, gesturing.

Jack watched the pale death god carefully as annoyance flickered in teal eyes similar to his own yet not quite.

"That was Hollow." the gruff voice of North interrupted.

"North?" Bunny and Jack echoed simultaneously, staring at the Russian spirit of Christmas who seemed to appear out nowhere.

"When did you get here?"

"What do you mean that was hollow? I assure you that was anything but hollow. It was a freaking monster, mate!"

"No, no. That was Hollow. Monster was a Hollow." North explained patiently. "Ah, Toshiro Hitsugilia, it's good to see you again. It has been…100 years, yes?"

"It's Captain Hitsugaya." Toshiro corrected automatically, crossing his arms across his chest. "And it has been 87 years."

"Close enough." the tall and rounded man said with a shrug. "I apologize on behalf of my comrades here. Jack is new to our fold and Bunny, well, Bunny and Sandy don't actually have excuse for their actions. Again, I apologize."

"Apologies accepted." Toshiro said, fishing out his phone and checked their surroundings again. "I apologize too for the intrusion. It's not often we have a reason to come to your side of the world."

"Yes, a Hollow in Burgess. Odd indeed." North said, stroking his beard.

"Will someone tell us what a Hollow is?!" Bunny exploded after listening in on the conversation.

Jack nodded his support, leaning on his staff.

"Toshiro -,"

"It's Captain Hitsugaya!"

"Hollows are souls that succumbed to hunger for spiritual power. It is the task of death gods like Hitsugilia here to purify them with their swords and send them off to afterlife." North explained. "Protecting innocent lives is part of their duty too. Like us Guardians!"

Toshiro resisted the urge to face palm from the butchering of his name.

"Like us? Pff, I seriously beg to differ."

"Bunny, be nice."

"You are beginning to sound like Tooth now, mate."

"The area is secured for now. No more Hollows have been detected." Toshiro said, breaking up the banter between North and Bunny. "My lieutenant and I will remain in Burgess for another day to be sure. Our job would be a lot easier, North if _your _Guardians kept out of our way."

"Hey, I resent that. We are not_ his_ Guardians." Jack protested.

Toshiro rolled his eyes and sighed. Honestly, what had he expected from the legendary Guardians? Old cronies like his chief commander of the First Division? They were just as bad as Kurosaki and his lot of friends.

"You not yet tell us why Hollow come here." North reminded Toshiro.

"It's because of those like Jamie."

"Jamie? Why does he have to do with that monster coming into Burgess?" Jack demanded, his protective instinct of the human boy rearing its head.

"We have reason to believe that Jamie's exposure to the Guardians has triggered his dormant spiritual energy which is what drew the Hollow here." Toshiro explained.

"So it was my fault that monster went after Jamie." Jack realised quietly, guilt gnawing away at him. "If I hadn't met Jamie, he –,"

"Come on, mate. Don't beat yourself up." Bunny interrupted, patting his shoulder.

"It's not just Jamie." Toshiro continued. "My lieutenant has identified a few other children besides Jamie, whose spiritual energies have awaken."

"How can we stop another Hollow from going after them and Jamie?" Jack asked.

Again annoyance flickered across Toshiro's green eyes as he, tired of being interrupted, looked at the ice Guardian. "Matsumoto has been placing seals on the children throughout the night. That will seal off their spiritual energies for the rest of their human lives. They will be safe from Hollows."

"And Jamie?"

"Matsumoto is placing a seal on Jamie even as we speak. In the morning, he won't remember tonight's events or ever meeting a death god."

A painful thought occurred and Jack was hesitant to ask. "But…does this mean he…they won't be able to see us anymore?"

An odd look crossed Toshiro's face and he sighed. "Children have always been able to see you guardians even without their spiritual energy. So…"

"Because they believe!" North burst enthusiastically. "And as long as they believe, they can see!"

Jack breathed a quiet sigh of relief. "Whew. That's good to know."

Toshiro nodded slowly to confirm North's exclamation but his eyes watched Jack's face. "Jamie means something to you, doesn't he? A sibling perhaps."

The acute observation made Jack blink in surprise. They just met and Toshiro had already picked up on his brotherly friendship with the child. "You should say that. Jamie was the first person to believe in me. After 300 years of being unseen, that makes it more meaningful." he said, shrugging carelessly.

"I see. He looks up to you, you know." Toshiro said solemnly. Something akin to understand flickered in his eyes. "So if you really want to protect Jamie, start training to get stronger and better at controlling your powers."

"You sound like you speak from experience." Bunny commented, hopping forward.

"I don't suppose you would be keen to give me a few lessons. Because that ice dragon trick, that was wicked cool." Jack said, scratching the back of his head.

Toshiro smirked. "That 'ice dragon trick' took me years of training to perfect it. I doubt you have the patience and discipline."

"Hey. Come on. You won't know till you try it." Jack said, sharing his smirk. "Beside all I have is time on my hands. How long did it take you?"

"Oh, about a 150 years, give or take."

Jack blanched. "Okay, think I'll pass then."

"Now, Jack. Hitsugilia's right!" North boomed, slapping the smaller Guardian's shoulder hard. "Training important. How else you think Hitsugilia here become captain."

"You're a captain? Of what?" Jack asked.

"Whoa, the kid's a captain?" Bunny interrupted with a snort. "Didn't seem very impressive back there. I was under the impression that your captain-level death gods are invincible or something."

Toshiro's eyes narrowed and the temperature began to drop. North and Bunnymund began to shiver while unaffected, Jack blinked in confusion at his fellow Guardians.

Fortunately before Toshiro could encase the Easter Bunny in a block of ice, an excited squeal broke through the air.

_"Ken-chan! I found Shiro-chan! _

And just like, the Guardians saw Toshiro's body stiffen and his eyes widened in horror as he turned towards the voice that belonged to a pink-haired girl who clambered onto the rooftop edge and ran up to him.

_"Lieutenant Kushajishi, what are you doing here? Please don't tell me that your captain is here too!" _

_"Silly, Shiro-chan. Of course Ken-chan in here!" _the girl said beaming up at him.

"Oy, who's the kid?" Bunnymund demanded, crossing his arms in front of him.

Oh no. Toshiro actually felt bad for the rabbit as Yachiru's eyes turned to him and took on an evil glimmer. Bunnymund must have sensed something off and he began to inch away slowly. Amused, Jack watched the scene unfold as though the little girl was a cat stalking its prey and Bunnymund was, well, the bunny.

"Don't tell me the big bad Easter bunny is afraid of a little girl." he mocked.

"Highly doubt she is a little girl." Bunny growled back and froze as a smile stretched across the aforementioned little girl's face.

"BUNNY!" she shrieked in delight as she launched herself through the air right at him.

"ARGH!"

Between Jack's and North's bellowing laughter, Bunny's cries for help, Yachiru's yelling and the distinctive presence of battle-crazy captain of the Eleven division approaching their location, Toshiro just this once, wished he never left bed.

* * *

**A/n: **I hope you liked it!Nope, no bankai even though that would be cool. Remember, captains have a limiter placed on them when sent on real world missions that reduces their power by 80%. Writing Toshiro's fight scenes are hard because no amount of word can describe his awesomeness.

**MERRY CHRISTMAS!**

**The End **

**(or is it...)**


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